Southshooter

I have always used a .30-06 for hunting whitetail deer. Recently I have wanted to go with a smaller caliber for this purpose. How much knockdown power/energy is required for taking whitetails humanely? What is the formula for calculating knockdown energy of a specific bullet size and type?

Quilly

800 foot pounds

diyj98

I don't believe in anything called "knock down power", but you can calculate the energy of a bullet by the following formula. http://www.airgunning.co.uk/tech.htm

As far as the minimum required, that's highly debatable.

halcon

I remember reading some articles by self proclaimed experts that set between 700 to 800 ft lbs energy as a minimuim . sounds reasonable but it is debatable to say the least . I guess a lot would depend on where you hit them .

dpv

I recall several years ago before I quit hunting (started back again this year) there was a minimum foot lbs of somewhere around 300-350 lbs required for the firearm here in VA. it also had to be larger than .223. Thist year when I was prepping I didn't see the foot lbs requirement. It my crossbow only produces about 45 ft lbs. But I took a nice doe with it. I know that my 9 mm pistol has a muzzle velocity of around 350 ft lbs. I am sure many will disagree, but I have no doubt that I could make a clean kill on a deer with my 9 mm. If I can get close enough with a bow, I can definately get close enough with a pistol. It's more than just Ft Lbs. it's depth of penetration, bullet placement, initial diameter and expansion.

David

Yeah, I know I kicked open the hornets nest on this one

mauser06

my mom bought me a giant book about hunting from field and stream a few years ago and it agrees with quilly and halcon..800ft/lbs of energy is recommended for killing deer...

Pro-Line

People that write books will use numbers like 775 ft-lbs and such, but they are meaningless. Many a moost has been shot behind the front shoulder with a .22lr and found handily. Hell, my bow doesn't produce 350 ft-lbs of energy and I've killed 30+ deer with it.

If you poke a hole in the right place, the deer will die. If you don't, you shouldn't be hunting. 22 Magnums are legal in Maine for a reason...

The key is to choose an adequate caliber and learn to shoot it properly. Personally, I'd pick the .243 as the bottom and work up from there.

bigbulls

Don't get too hung up on energy requirements for deer. More important is the bullet type. 1000 ft.lbs. with a hollow point match bullet isn't the same as 1000 ft.lbs. with a hunting bullet. I know that's basic, but it's important. Anything from a .223 on up will be able to humanely take whitetails at 200 yards.

Deleted User

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stubblejumper

It varies a great deal with the size of deer you hunt.In the south a 200lb deer may be considered very large while mature northern bucks often exceed 300 lbs.In any case a cartridge such as the 25-06 or 7mm-08 is more than adequate for any deer.